Tarantism
by leprekan187
Summary: Burlesque dancer/ballroom dance instructor Lily potter as big red What ever happened to Lily Potter? It had been years since anyone saw her in person other than for exactly five hours on Christmas day. What happens when Scorpius Malfoy stumbles across her secret while on a much needed vacation? scorpius/lily
1. prologue

Disclaimer: _Natalia, Carrie Tate, Lana Tate and Allison Jewel are my OC's_. Everything recognizable belongs to the great JKR. Anything else such as a song is properly labeled throughout the story. This won't be a very long story but I already have about 10k words written. it was inspired by watching movies at 2-6 am on a regular basis.

Tarantism is to overcome melancholy by dancing; the incredible urge to dance

Make sure you remove all spaces

Pinterest for this story: www. pinterest mahanson187/ tarantism /

Quick links for characters:

Lily Luna: www. pinterest. com /pin/ 566609196841832508/

Allison Jewel: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196841832571/

Carrie Tate: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196842095155/

Lana Kate Tate: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196842095144/

Scorpius Malfoy: www. Pinterest pin/ 566609196842095133/

Albus Potter: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196842095296/

Natalia: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196842095367/

James Potter: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196842095271/

Prologue

"Mate, you need to take your time off." Albus Potter said in way of a greeting as he handed his best friend of fifteen years, fellow Auror of six years and partner of three years the note his father had given him to give to Scorpius Malfoy. Apparently said best friend had not taken a single day off other than the odd sick day since training was over.

Albus Potter had not had that problem for almost the full three years. Not since his girlfriend turned fiancé Natalia, a Swedish Auror transfer that had fallen in love with Al, not Harry Potter's youngest son.

"Bloody hell, I didn't realize I had so much time off built up…" Scorpius said taking the scrap of parchment Albus was holding out and reading it. Scorpius sat it on his desk before he shrugged off his cloak.

"Dad says you have to take it starting tomorrow. He doesn't want you to lose it and I need to take a few days off for Nat anyway. Go to the beach and have a pint of two for me." Al joked as he flopped down in his swivel chair.

"Where the hell am I gonna go?" Scorpius laughed as he sat down with much more decorum.

"Who the bloody hell cares. If I had enough time off to last past New Years I would do what Lily did and see the world. Or at least as much of it as I could. Go spend some time in some real heat. Enjoy not having this London rain." Albus said wildly with a big grin.

Lily Potter had decided to take a year off to travel the world six years ago and basically never came back for anything other than Christmas. She sent obligatory birthday cards and presents but she stayed away from England.

"Well I'm sure I can stay entertained here in London just fine for a few months with no issue. Even if I decided to leave I wouldn't _not_ come back. Your dad would disembowel me." Scorpius joked as he sat down at his desk to grab the files they would need to finish up if he was going on vacation.


	2. Chapter 1

The house: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196841812500/

The bloomers: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196842095459/

Lily part 1

The high pitched squeal that came from the kitchen followed by a loud crash had Lily Potter sitting bolt up in bed before rushing down the stairs and into the kitchen, followed closely by her best friend and roommate Carrie Tate.

"Allison Jewel!" Lily yelled at the same time Carrie yelled, "Lana Kate!" as the two sleep ridden women barreled into the living room.

"Sorry mommy." Came the duel reply as the two six year olds sat on the counter of the island, the chair they had obviously used to climb up over turned on the floor and a jar of un opened peanut butter rolled to a stop where the carpet and tile met.

Both women looked at each other before sighing softly. Lily slumped against the door frame of her vintage house in the middle of Los Angeles.

"It's okay babies. You just scared both of us." Carrie said softly as she sat the chair back up and picked up the jar of peanut butter. "Here, I will make both of you a PB&J and we'll all head over to the studio early."

Lily trudged back up stairs and into her in suite bathroom, letting Carrie take care of the girls breakfast. Showered and dressed in a pair of skirted deadwood bloomers and a tank top Lily made her way back down to the kitchen to find it empty except for a PB&J inside a small baggie on the counter. Shaking her head she went around the kitchen and into the living room and grabbed the few things she needed for dance class and at the bar later that day.

About ten minutes later she looked around at the sound of small feet running across the tile in the kitchen.

"Hey there, princess. Are you ready to go dance?" Lily asked scooping up Ali in a big twirl before sitting her back down.

"Yes, mommy," Came a happy reply.

"We're all set. Here's Ali's bag." Carrie said handing over a small duffle bag.

Lily and Carrie owned and taught at Red's Dance Studio less than five minutes away. It was small but Lily had used magic to fix it up to a standard most professional dance studios didn't have.

When Lily had first left England she had taken dance classes in almost every country she visited, until she found out about Allison. Lily had always thought it ironic that the first time she had sex she conceived her daughter. It just proved that it only took once. Or technically many times over the course of one weekend with her older brothers' best friend.

Only spending a week in the few countries she did visit she had first believed she had caught a food bug from some of the more eccentric food choices she had made in India or Burma and figured it would pass on its own after a few days. The actual sickness had waned away and just left a mild nausea over some random foods. It wasn't until she was in America on the West Coast at a small 24hour diner around 3am, sitting across from a very pregnant girl who looked her age did it hit her, what could be wrong.

In a mild panic Lily went to the closest 24hour grocer and bought a dozen or so OTC pregnancy tests and a hotel room.

Every single test came back positive. She was pregnant.

Lily had gone home later that month for Christmas and withdrew enough from her Gringotts account and opened a second account for her unborn child and herself in the muggle world. Making sure to have enough for at least a year or more for both of them to find a place to live and make sure she had everything she would need for a child.

After that she had kept her distance, only owling her parents once a week and she had only told Nana Molly what was going on when the older lady had found her face down in the toilet at 4am Christmas morning.

Lily had bought a house as far away from England she could think of under her grandmothers name in uptown L.A.

It was about eight months after she'd had her daughter that she made friends at the daycare she left Ali at a few days a week.

Carrie had been God and Merlin sent at that point. She worked at a small bar a few miles away from the new house she had bought earlier that year that was hiring for waitresses. A few of the girls even had children that they had to bring along. Lily was nowhere close to hurting for money but she was bored and lonely.

Half a world away from everyone she knew and with only an infant to keep her company Lily was starting to go spare.

It was just before the holidays again and Lily was in a bind to go home for Christmas when Carrie offered to watch Ali since she had no plans and no one to visit. So a tradition started.

Carrie ended up losing her apartment due to them tearing it down to build some strip mall, like L.A. needed any more at that point and moving in with her daughter Lana. Both infants could share a room and Carrie took the room on the opposite side of girls while Lily was on the other. Life in L.A. became much more enjoyable.

And after Ali's first bout of accidental magic Lily sat her new friend down and explained the world she came from.


	3. Chapter 2

Scorpius part 1

One very boring week and a plane ticket later Scorpius found himself going through the wizarding entrance to Heathrow Airport.

"Good Morning, Mr. Malfoy. We have you on the quickest plane to LAX Airport. Muggle's call it the Red-eye. My suggestion is that you take a dose of dreamless sleep potion and sleep the trip away. Have a safe trip!" the overly enthusiastic witch at the fancy desk beamed at him before helping another person from behind him.

With his single carryon bag with all of his shrunken bags in the side pocket and his laptop and cell in the main pocket Scorpius went through the dark arts barrier and stopped at the little dreamless sleep stand to purchase a small bottle of the little pills his father had invented. Scorpius wondered through the airport watching the muggles rush to and from little gift shops and baggage claim areas before finding his way to the gate where his flight was due to take off in just a little while he sat down and muggle watched.

After a much longer time than he expected his flight was finally called and he had to use every ounce of his Malfoy persona to keep from acting like a giddy first year on their way to flying lessons. Scorpius eagerly boarded the plane with the muggles and chose a window seat before settling in. he wasn't really paying attention to the flight attendant so when the plane started to move he gripped the armrests on either side of him.

It was like the first time on a broom stick as he soared high in the sky before leveling off. Exlierating and terrifying all at once. Not too long after what appeared to be an in-flight movie Scorpius was already bored, managed only to wait until after the food came before he took the dreamless sleep pill, but just barely.


	4. Chapter 3

Scorpius Part 2

As far away from England as possible he could get that still spoke English and not solely back country, Scorpius was enjoying Los Angeles.

It was much warmer than he was used to for November so he went shopping for a whole new wardrobe and was enjoying cooling charms in the West Coast heat.

He was about one month into his vacation and was more than a little shocked at the weather in California compared to Scotland and England being mid-November and was still a balmy 82°F. Back home it was either snowing or raining by now. Enjoying being outdoors and out on the town for the night. Scorpius was just walking around down near the pier on the sidewalk not really paying attention when he noticed a flashing neon sign. It was a burlesque bar.

Scorpius had never been in one and he hadn't enjoyed the company of a woman for over five years now. And even then it had been a not so drunken as much a very sober and very long weekend with his best friends little sister that he had been crushing on for years. She had disappeared not long after on her around the world trip. She had always talked about cultures and dancing and making new friends and just immersing herself into everything.

The music from the bar was familiar and sounded sultry and alluring. The soft beat reverberated through his body, pulling him to the door and before he knew it he had paid the large cover fee and was sitting at a small round table near the back of the packed room as the song ended with a few girls giggling and covered in sugar and lace. He had never seen _that_ in particular rendition of Def Leopard. But he was more than willing to watch it again. He sipped his colorful tequila-ed drink while a few guys swept the dry sugar off the stage. _Pour some sugar on me by Def Leopard._

The cute waitress picked up his empty glass and sat down a fresh one before walking away just as the lights went out in the whole front room. A catchy and thrilling tune started, followed by a loud cheering as if the regulars knew who did this dance quite well, and the sound of a whip resounded through the room. Then the lights started flashing rhythmically to the beat of the song and the whip to show some sort of hell's angel with dark red hair piled on top of her head stylishly and dressed in some soft ruffled green Latin dance dress on the stage. _For your entertainment by Adam Lambert._

Her voice commanded the audience while her body commanded the stage. The song she sang was all about sex; the kind Scorpius loved. All about pleasure and sensuality. He would let her entertain him anytime. He felt a stirring deep inside him as he gripped the edges of the table to anchor himself down. He didn't pay any attention to the other girls in skimpy leather dancing around on the stage with the mystery girl as she sat in her red velveteen throne with a devilish smirk and a playful quirk of an eyebrow that he hadn't been around to see in a few Christmases.

The elusive Lily Potter was currently very seductively dressed on a burlesque stage in the middle of down town L.A. It just didn't make sense. Not to Scorpius anyway. With a saucy wink and a tempting moan the song ended and the lights went out again. He heard a distant announcement say something about her being Big Red. By the time the normal lights came back on another set of very attractive women were on stage gyrating to a girly song. _Slave by Brittany Spears_

About then his waitress came back near his table. "another drink sir?" the pretty dirty blonde girl, with a name tag that read _Carebear_ attached precariously on her chest near the edge of her low cut shirt, asked.

"I would like to see Big Red in a privet room please." Scorpius asked with his most charming smile on his face.

"Big Red doesn't do privet shows, sir." _Carebear_ informed him.

"I'll pay $3,000 cash to get her into the room. And $1,000 for every hour, by card, I keep her in there otherwise." Scorpius said pulling out the cash from his wallet in his back pocket.

"I will go ask her. Wait here please." She said awkwardly as she walked to another waitress before disappearing through a door off to the side of the stage as he sat back down and barely paid attention to the girls on the stage currently.


	5. Chapter 4

The borrowed shoes: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196841832197/

Lily's shirt: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196842095542/

Lily's jeans: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196842095526/

Lily's shoes: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196841832184/

Lily's show dress: www. pinterest pin/ 566609196842095578/

Lily part 2

"Hey Red." Lily turned at the sound of her nickname from her best friend and roommate Carrie. She was running in a pair of borrowed heels and looking panicked.

"Where's the fire, Bear?" Lily asked amused as she caught her friend before she face planted in the unfamiliar shoes.

"Come here." Carrie said dragging Lily over to the clothes rack and ducked behind the shelves.

"What's going on Bear?" Lily questioned starting to get worried.

"There is a really hot guy out front who wants a privet show." Carrie started.

"I don't do privet shows."

"I know, but he said he would pay $3,000 cash up front to get you into the room. And $1,000 for every hour afterwards." Carrie said breathlessly.

"$3,000 just to get me into the room with him?" Lily asked bewildered.

Carrie nodded, glad her friend understood.

"The bar needs that kind of customer. I'll go to the room but I won't stay long enough for him to spend another 1,000. Ali isn't feeling well." Lily said as they moved back to her mirror where her change of clothes was sitting.

Lily had been planning on leaving after _Entertainment_. Carrie rushed off while Lily changed into her favorite jeans and a cowl neck shirt. Lily made sure to grab her wand just in case. Lily had no desire to do anything sexual with anyone, no matter how much money some bastard threw around to get her attention. With a guilty glance back at the door the children slept in she walked down the side hallway where the privet rooms were and saw a light on. He was already waiting. Taking a deep breath lil opened the door and ducked into the room.

A slow clap filled the room when the door shut behind her. Looking up Lily turned speechless when she turned to look at the smartass.

"That was one hell of a show Red." His voice drawled dryly in a way that had never before failed to turn her insides to mush.

Standing in front of her, leaning against the wall on the other side of the room, dressed in a pair of fine grey slacks and a light blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows with his easy smirk, playful eyes and his impeccable hair was Scorpius Malfoy.

"what the bloody hell are you doing here?" Lily finally managed after a moment of gaping floundry.

"vacation." Was all he said.

"you never take vacation." Lily countered swiftly.

"well apparently your dad decided I needed to take all of it before I lost it at the end of December. I have until January 12th before I need to be back. I've been lazy here in L.A. just kind of wandering around for almost a month now."

"so you're not here looking for me then?" Lily asked tring to calm herself a bit.

"no I figured you would have a reason for leaving the way you did. And that you would either tell everyone when you were ready or not by the time it was all said and done. I guessed long ago that you had made a life somewhere else and if you didn't enjoy it then you would have come home long before now."

"I have made a life for me here now. Not just here at the bar. This is just the same as going out dancing with the girls. Almost all of my friends are here." Lily said with a soft smile now that she knew her family wasn't hunting her down like a stray cat.

"Almost huh? I guess I can still count myself among that remaining number?" he asked with his eyes dancing playfully with amusement.

"You should know better, Scor. I've known you just as long as Albus has. And unless you have changed dramatically in the last few years, I'm pretty sure I know you better than my darling brother" Lily smirked playfully back at him. He laughed softly in return.

"No, Lily, in that aspect you do know me better… better than anyone else does." He added a bit reluctantly.

"It's been years Scor." Lily said confused. There was no need for him not to have a wife by now, or even a girlfriend. Or hell, even someone to call on when he had the urge. She knew he loved his work but she would have never figured him to not take any time for his self.

"So it has. I would never expect anything Red, you know that."

"Well I've had a few boyfriends over the years but they never last long."

"I would assume that there are not too many Americans that would be comfortable enough with themselves to see you dance like that or put on a show like that." Scorpius said easily.

"No, I have yet to find a decent guy who will enjoy all the aspects of my life with me."

After a quiet moment there came a soft knock on the side of the door Lily came through.

"Ali's sick and Lana isn't fairing any better it looks like." Carrie said once Lily opened the door.

"Okay, let me say good bye and I'll be there in a minute to help." Lily said softly.

"Wait, your both still dressed?" Carrie whispered quickly.

"I'll explain at home." Lily whispered back.

"I'll let you tend to the girls. Is there any other way to find you or get a hold of you other than finding you here at this lovely place?" Scorpius asked standing when she shut the door.

"Red's Dance Studio is on the boardwalk. We'll be there around 10am." She said hugging him and giving him a quick kick to the cheek "I don't think I need to request you keep my life and my exact location from any and all Weasley's and Potter's. Nana is the only one who knows where I am and I would like to keep it that way, please."

"Sure, Lily, I think I have lunch at the little café near your studio."

"There is a little café a few doors down. Listen, I really need to help Carrie get Ali and Lana home." Lily said looking back at the door. Ali had been feeling off all day but insisted she was fine. Now she was sick and Lily felt horrible for not making sure she was in fact fine.

"I understand. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Red."

Lily just nodded at him before dashing back to the kids' room. She quickly and quietly put the other children back to sleep before sending a powerful disinfecting charm over the room just in case. With a quiet sleeping hex Ali and Lana were back to sleep as well. Carrie came in the room and picked up Lana the same time Lily picked up Ali.

"Hold your breath bear." Lily said looking at her friend before apparating them back to the living room of their house.

"I hate that." Carrie said walking into the kitchen for a glass of water.

"I know, sorry, it was the quickest way to get us home." Lily said as she summoned three potion bottles for nausea, the clinking could be heard as they rushed through the air to where Lily was sitting with the two little girls. "Here, drink this." Lily said holding out one vial while she spelled the others contents into the little girls' stomachs.

Carrie started cooking something while Lily put the girls to bed. Once they were settled and Lily made sure both girls were in fact feeling better she sat down at the kitchen table with Carrie.

"So who was Mr. Richie Rich?" Carrie asked after a few minutes.

"That was Ali's father." Lily said as calmly as possible.

"_THAT_ was Scorpius Malfoy?" Carrie nearly screeched with how loud she asked the question. No one was worried about waking the girls due to the one-way silencing charm Lily put over the room every night.

"That it was. It'd been two Christmases since I've seen him but he hasn't changed a bit. Not really." Lily said softly trying to stay calm.

"Damn girl. I knew you said he was gorgeous and that he came from old money. But he just paid Momma's bar $3,000 to get you into the same room as him alone." Carrie said incredulously.

"Apparently," Lily said softly.

"How did he even know you were there?" Carrie asked conversationally as she ate.

"He didn't. He's been forced to take a vacation. And he's been in L.A. for over a month. Even has lunch at Terri's Café."

"So none of your family is going to randomly show up here to take you back to England?"

"Thankfully no," Lily snorted. "But I do think he needs to meet Ali and find out the truth now. He is her father, and he claims he hasn't been with anyone since me. And you know I've always compared him to every guy I've dated around here."

"Well I can sure see why your standards are so much higher than most." Carrie said with a teasing wink.


End file.
